


The Sandwich Incident

by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz, IncendiaGlacies



Series: Legends of S.H.I.E.L.D [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D AU, Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 12:24:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13951506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/pseuds/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: Nate and Ray are sent on a Level 8 classified mission and end up bonding.(Another fic for the AoS AU)





	The Sandwich Incident

**Author's Note:**

> This one's based off of The Hub because that episode had such good quality Fitzward bonding (before everything caught on fire and became pain). It was a fun one to write because these two, and this particular idea was what spurred us to start expanding a little more I think. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Nate looked over at Ray as the owners of the bar discussed what to do with them. The other agent was fidgeting a little in his bonds, looking nervous. Sooner or later, they had to figure out a way to escape and make it across the border. They probably had eighteen hours until the Overkill device went active. Agent Troy had assigned Nate to be the muscle to get in, but Ray’s engineering expertise was also required to disable it. Right now, if they didn’t get out of these ropes, it didn’t matter who had been assigned to stop it.

“How long can you hold your breath underwater?” Nate muttered to him, catching some words in the bar owner’s speech that could only indicate torture.

“No clue,” Ray said.

The power in the bar suddenly died. Both patrons and the owners all howled out in disappointment as the game they had been watching blinked off on the television.

“This could be what we need,” Nate told Ray. “We have darkness on our side. All we have to do is get out of these ropes.

“I might have another idea,” the engineer replied, looking over at their captors. “Excuse me?”

The group turned to look at him.

“I notice your electricity is out,” Ray said more cheerfully than Nate expected. “I happen to be an engineer. If you get us passage across the border, I can get things up and running again.”

The group looked at each other before the leader approached them. Nate clenched his jaw as a pocket knife came out of her pocket. Ray gulped. However, the knife was used to cut the ropes on their hands and chests.

“No funny business,” the woman instructed. “Do what you have to.”

* * *

 

“So that power failure was actually you?”

Ray grinned and held up the EMP he’s picked up back at the Hub. “Figured I should bring it along just in case. Came more in handy than the anti-venom kit Lily insisted I take.”

Nate gave a smile back in return. “I never thought you could negotiate so well. I’ve been mistaken thinking your only strength is in the lab. Without you, we’d never be making it across the border.”

“I may not be a field agent, but I have my own tricks,” Ray replied proudly. “How do you think the others are doing back at the Hub?”

“Based on what was going on when we left?” Nate paused for a moment. “Z’s probably nagging Gideon to give her the full details on the mission. Lily’s probably worrying about you. And Hunter’s likely in the cockpit or doing something else with a stern expression.”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Ray nodded as their truck came to a stop. “So-”

Nate put a finger to his lips. Ray closed his mouth and listened. There were soldiers talking outside in a different language. Seconds ticked by, then gunfire broke out. Nate yanked Ray down so they were pressed to the bed of the truck.

“We have to make a run for it,” Nate said. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Nate climbed out first. Ray followed out second and made a run for the bushes. He shouted out for Nate to follow him while they had their opening. The field agent kicked the soldier down and hurried after him.

“What now?” Ray yelled as they hurried through the brush.

Nate looked behind them. “We need to hide.”

* * *

 

“Why do you think they sent us together?”

Nate stopped staring up at the stars to look back down at Ray. They’d managed to find refuge in an old drainage pipe. For hours, they’d been hiding out in here from the soldiers and the dogs that were no doubt searching for them. Not a whole lot had been said until now.

“They needed someone with the know-how to disable the Overkill device,” Nate answered. “They also needed someone who had the capability to get into the facility where it’s being kept. We were their best options.”

“Yeah, but it feels weird they took two from the same team.”

He did have a point. It was slightly odd, but Ray didn’t seem very fazed by it anymore. He was now unzipping his bag and pulling something out. A smile tugged at his lips as he inhaled the smell of it.

“What is that?” Nate asked.

“A sandwich,” Ray replied cheerfully as he unwrapped it. “Lily made it for me. It’s my favorite. Ham, cheese, and apple on gluten-free bread. You can have half if you want.”

Nate sighed slowly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Look, buddy, I can’t help my gluten allergy, but I promise that the bread doesn’t taste horrible.”

“Ray, they have dogs searching for us right now,” he reminded him. “And you brought a ham sandwich.”

Ray’s face fell. “Oh.”

Nate grabbed the sandwich and threw it out as far as he could. A splash could be heard in the distance. Ray looked out mournfully at where his snack had gone.

“You owe me another sandwich,” he muttered under his breath as he settled back against the drainage pipe. “Congratulations, Agent Heywood. You defeated the world’s most dangerous-”

The sound of dogs barking reached his ears. Nate snapped forward and covered Ray’s mouth. Ray frowned at him, but his eyes widened when he heard the dogs too. They stayed that way until the sounds faded away, then Nate relaxed and took his hand off Ray’s mouth.

“I’m starting to wonder less why you failed your field assessments,” Nate said a little more harshly than he intended to. “You could have gotten us killed.”

“I’m sorry, okay,” Ray apologized. “Hate to be your deadweight.”

Nate shook his head. “You’re not my deadweight. You’re my teammate, Ray. Before we left, Gideon told me to watch your back. That’s what I’m doing, Ray. You’re like a brother to me. Plus, Lily would never forgive me if I got you killed.”

Ray chuckled a little. “Yeah, she would be mad.”

They were silent for a little longer before Nate asked him the question that had been bugging him since he looked at Ray’s file. “How did you fail your field assessment?”

“Uh,” The other man shifted a little. “Can I tell you something about that? Something you can’t tell anyone else, not even Lily? It has to be a secret.”

“I’m good at keeping secrets,” Nate told him. “I’ll keep it on the DL.”

“I could have passed my field assessment,” Ray confessed. “I failed on purpose.”

“What?” Nate raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

“Lily didn’t pass hers,” the engineer explained. “I found out before I took mine. If I passed mine, there was a strong chance that they’d split us up. Lily and I work so well together, and I didn’t want to lose my partner. So I failed mine and they kept us working together. I never told her about that though.”

“Wow,” Nate exhaled. “So, she has no idea...”

“No,” Ray shook his head. “I don’t want her to think that she was holding me back. Besides, I’m not needed since Mr. Save the Day has her back.”

Clearly, Ray was still angry from what had happened with the virus the previous week that had nearly cost Lily her life. Nate couldn’t think of anything to say that would be effective here.

“Since we’re asking questions,” Ray swallowed. “I’ve got one about you.”

“Shoot.”

“Your files say you have hemophilia, yet you’re a field agent. How have you not…died?”

Nate stiffened a little as he remembered his life before Druce had come to him and offered him the chance to stop being the sick kid in the hospital.

“I am a hemophiliac,” he admitted. “I grew up in hospitals for most of my life. Eventually, SHIELD came and offered me the chance to be able to live my life. There’s a serum they developed that allows my blood to clot normally, but it needs to be reinjected every few months. Because of it, I’m able to live this life. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Ray blinked in amazement. “I never knew SHIELD had been able to reach that kind of medical development.”

Nate didn’t bother to tell him that technically SHIELD hadn’t been the ones who had developed it. “Well, it’s apparently some Level 8 or 9 know-how, so don’t tell anyone I told you.”

“Then we’ll keep out secrets safe with each other,” Ray promised.

“Sounds like a deal.”

* * *

 

Ray moved his hands quickly to disable the device. Time was running out for them. The airstrike was going to be coming in at any second from SHIELD. Right now, if they kept this up, they both wouldn’t be able to make it out. Nate kept on looking at his watch more and more, something Ray was trying to ignore.

“Ray, you have to get out of here,” his friend finally said.

“No way,” Ray shook his head and disconnected another wire. “I’m not leaving you alone. We’re sticking together.”

“I know you said you failed your field assessment on purpose, but you aren’t a field agent,” Nate told him. “We’re going to be outnumbered if you don’t run now. I can finish it from here. You just focus on getting to safety.”

“I said I am not leaving you alone,” Ray snapped. “Gideon told me to look out for you too when we left. I might not be a field agent, but I am every bit the SHIELD agent you are.”

Nate’s cheek twitched briefly. “I know that, buddy. But if you think you’re trying to prove something, you don’t have to. Everyone knows you would have jumped out of that plane to save Lily. She knows it too.”

Ray looked back at the device, feeling shame that he hadn’t been able to get his parachute on fast enough before Nate had come down to the cargo bay. “I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone. Gideon told us to both watch out for each other. That’s what we’ll do. That’s why I’m staying with you.”

He disconnected the last parts of the Overkill device. Footfalls were audible in the distance now. An explosion sounded in the distance. SHIELD must have started their bombing.

Nate clenched his fists, ready for a fight. Ray looked down at the Overkill device. It had been meant to disable weapons within a massive distance when hooked up the huge generator. Perhaps it could be reworked to target a smaller radius.

* * *

 

Once Nate had taken down the soldiers with Ray’s modifications to the Overkill device, they ran out of the warehouse. Someone shouted out at them. They turned to see a squadron approaching them, guns drawn. There was no way they could make it out alive.

This was it for them.

Then the soldiers started shouting and pointing up. Air buffeted both the agents’ clothes and air. When they looked up at the sky, a large black plane was descending towards them. Smiles broke out on both their faces.

Their extraction team had arrived.

* * *

 

It wasn’t until they got back on the plane that they’d found out that there had been no extraction plan for them until Z had hacked into the Hub and told Gideon. Gideon had tried to appeal to Agent Troy while Z and Lily had gotten Rip to agree to help them out. Their leader had joined them once Troy shot her down. Gideon was likely going to get chewed out when she returned to the Hub, but she didn’t sound too fazed by that.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Nate said.

“We look after our own,” Gideon told them with a smile.

She went back up the stairs with Rip, who simply told them he was glad they made it out alive. Only the girls were left with them now.

Lily hurried forward and hugged Ray quickly. “I’m so happy you’re alive. Both of you”

“Me too,” Ray agreed. “I owe Nate for that.”

“We kept each other alive,” Nate corrected.

Z hugged Ray next before going over Nate. “So did you bring me anything back?”

“No,” Nate shook his head. “Not really a mission for souvenirs.”

Z gasped in shock. “How could you? My own superior officer?”

“I missed you too, Z,” Nate told her. “But tomorrow, we’re going to make up for the training that you missed while I was gone.”

“Joy,” Z muttered sarcastically, but then her expression turned sincerer. “But I am happy you made it out though. I’m serious about that.”

“Thanks, Z.”

* * *

 

“Did you like the sandwich?” Lily asked as she walked back into the lab with Ray. “I was hoping that it would hold up for the mission.”

Ray nodded. “It was delicious, as always. I owe you a sandwich now.”

“And you didn’t need to use the anti-venom kit?”

“No,” Ray shook his head with a chuckle. “No snakes on this mission.”

“Well, that’s good,” Lily smiled. “How did it go in general?”

“Not bad,” Ray shrugged as they walked over the Holotable. “I got to negotiate to get Nate and I passage across the border. I managed to modify the Overkill device to help us out. Kicked a few guys’ heads in too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Enough about me. How were things back here? Did anything exciting happen at the Hub?”

Lily nodded, a pleased smile on her face. “I shot a superior officer in the chest.”

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and Kudos give us motivation and make us feel great!
> 
> (FZZT will be covered at a later point, and there's some Totemship bonding to come as well. And Z and Nate won't get Skyewarded, we promise.)


End file.
